Folding bed.



F. MESSEL'.

FOLDING BED. APPLICATION FILED MAR-12, 190B.

Patented Dectl, 1908.

"UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK MESSEL, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

FOLDING BED.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK MnssEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at San F rancisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented a new and useful Folding Bed, of which the following is a specification in such full and clear terms as will enable those skilled in the art to construct and use the same.

This invention relates to a folding bed which is adapted to be used as a writing desk in the day time, the upper parts of the bed having shelves or drawers to make them suitable for such uses, and the springs and mattress of the bed all folding up below a total height of about 31 inches, thus leaving a desk top at the height of a regulation desk.

An object of the invention is to provide additional space for holding the bed cover-- ings and mattress over that ordinarily found in many such beds, and to provide an effective and efficient means for stretching the springs that support the mattress.

Another object of the invention is to make a bed that will hold the mattress with but a single fold, since it is very hard to make a mattress lie down when an attempt is made to fold it more than once, because of the fact that the thickness is so great.-

In the drawings, in which the same numeral is applied to the same part throughout,

Figure 1 is, a side elevation of the bed with the mattress folded up, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the bed with the mattress folded out ready for use, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bed as it looks when the mattress is folded up and the bed closed, Fig. 4 is a plan of the irons securing the two portions of the mattress together, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the bed in open position.

The main frame of the bed is shown at 1 and may be made to house any kind of a cabinet that may be desired, as for example a bookcase, a ladys dresser, a writing desk, or any one of the other articles of this character that may be desired around a bed room, or if the bed is to be used in a living room a sideboard might be provided above the bed portion.

The bed is provided with the common casters, as is the truck 2 to which the mattress is pivoted, the truck sliding in so that it fits closely in the front of the frame of the bookcase. This truck 2 has the short flat posts 3 at the front end, and pivoted on the two posts is the bed section 4, to which one Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 12, 1908.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

Serial No. 420,588.

end of the mattress 5 is secured. This portion of the bed is so made that it precisely fits the truck, the leg 6 fitting in the notch 7 to make a smooth surface on the outside of the bed. The front of the section 4 may be finished in any suitable manner to make it took as if it contained drawers instead of a The bed section 8 is substantially the same as the section 4, except that it is finished to give it the appearance of the foot of the bed instead of the head, and to it is secured the other end of the mattress 5, this section is provided with the hinged legs 9 and 10 there being one 011 each side of the section.

Connecting the two sections is the device which is used to spread the two sections apart, and to stretch the mattress. It consists of four fiat plates 12 and 18 there being two of each, and each plate is slotted for a portion of its length near the center, a heavy pin being placed in the slots to lock the bed in the outstretched position. These plates are secured at one end to the plates 14 on the ends of the sides of the bed sections, the plan of said plates being shown in Fig. 4.

Now it will be noted that the result of this construction is that when the bed is folded up that one bed section exactlyfits over the other, the mattress and bedclothes being folded up with the springs, and since the back of the truck may have a narrow board or cleat on it there is no possibility of the top section getting displaced, nor of its disarranging the bed clothes. It will also be noted that the four fiat plates 12 and 13 fold up on each other in the form shown in Fig. 1, thus making a sure means for holding the tops of the sections in their proper positions. The truck which carries the bed sections is free from the desk section and thus when the bed is to be moved the weight may be reduced as much as possible, since the two parts may be separated and carried one at a time. Another advantage of this bed is that while the springs may be supported at quite a distance above the solid parts of the bed sections, when the bed is folded up the springs at once slacken up and fill that portion of the bed sections thus utilizing a very considerable space for the mattress and clothes. Still another advantage of this bed is that the form of the plates 12 and 13 is such as to give a very powerful leverage in pulling the bed down into condition for use, a thing very necessary, for to make a pair of springs suitable for use they must be pulled up very tight.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. In a folding bed, the combination of a truck, a bed section pivoted to the truck near the front thereof, a second section adapted to be folded over the first section, a plurality of pairs of links connecting the two sections and adapted to cause one section to move away from the other a fixed distance when the bed 1s opened, and a wire mattress connected at its ends to the two bed sections,

substantially as described.

2. In a folding bed, a truck, a bed section pivoted to the truck, a second bed section adapted to fold over the first section, two pairs of slotted bars connecting the two bed sections, two legs pivoted to the first bed section and legs pivoted to the second bed section.

3. In a folding bed, a truck, a bed section pivoted to the truck, a second bed section hinged to the first section, said hinge comprising a pair of double crossed bars connected at their ends to each bed section, a mattress connected at its ends to the bed sec tions, two legs pivoted to the first bed section and legs pivoted to the second bed section.

4. In a folding bed, a truck, a bed section pivoted to the truck, a second bed section adapted to fold over the first bed section, a pair of double crossed bars secured at their ends to the bed sections and adapted to cause said sections to move a fixed distance from each other when the same are opened, a-

mattress secured at its, ends to the bed sections, a pair of legs pivoted to the first section so that it matches a portion of the truck, and legs pivoted to the second bed section.

In testimony whereof Ihave set my hand this 7 day of March A. D. 1908, in the 

